Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has highlighted that the theme of the G20 presidency of Saudi Arabia is to realize opportunities in the 21st century for all.

King Salman delivered the statement at the virtual opening of the G20 Summit in Riyadh on Saturday.

“Although the COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to adjust our focus rapidly to face its repercussions, the subject areas under this general theme, namely Empowering People, Safeguarding the Planet, and Shaping New Frontiers, remain essential to overcome this global challenge and shape a better future for our people,” he stated.

The king stressed that in the near future, all people should address the vulnerabilities exposed by COVID-19, while working to protect lives and livelihoods.

“Although we are optimistic about the progress made in developing vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics tools for COVID-19, we must work to create the conditions for affordable and equitable access to these tools for all peoples. At the same time, we must prepare better for any future pandemic,” he added.

He also called for continuing to support the global economy and reopen economies and borders to facilitate the mobility of trade and people.

“We must provide support to the developing countries in a coordinated manner to maintain the development already achieved over the past decades. Beyond that, we need to continue laying the basic foundations for a robust, sustainable, and inclusive growth,” King Salman said.

He added that all countries need to promote access to opportunity for all, especially women and youth to enhance their roles in the society and in the job market through education, training, job creation, as well as supporting entrepreneurship, strengthening financial inclusion, and bridging the digital gaps among individuals.

“We also need to create the conditions for a more sustainable economy. Therefore, we have advocated the Circular Carbon Economy as an effective approach for achieving our climate goals and ensuring cleaner, more sustainable, and affordable energy systems,” he remarked.

“In this context, we advocate the need to combat land degradation and conserve coral reefs and biodiversity to send a strong signal about our commitment to safeguard our planet,” the king said.

According to him, trade is a key driver of economic recovery, and therefore G20 have adopted the Riyadh Initiative on the Future of the WTO (World Trade Organization), with the aim of making the multilateral trading system more capable to face any present or future challenges.

He pointed out that the G20 leaders met for the first time twelve years ago in response to the financial crisis.

“The outcomes achieved are ample proof that the G20 is the most prominent forum for international cooperation and for tackling global crises,” he said.

“Today, we are working together again to face another, deeper global crisis, that has ravaged people and economies. With our coming together once more, I am confident that the Riyadh Summit will deliver significant and decisive results and will lead to adopting economic and social policies that will restore hope and reassurance to the people of the world,” King Salman said.

Reporting by Indonesia Window